If your heading out on the Harris Chain, look for bass in the prespawn pattern eating all sorts of baitfish. Male bass prep the beds for the females to move up into the shallows when timing is right. Bass will re-use old beds – look in the same places you’ve found them before. Now is when you can find large concentrations of feeding fish. I try to use search baits to find active locations. Then slow down the search casting, when I start catching them. Remember to vary your retrieve and let the fish tell you what they want, colder weather usually means slower. Topwater plugs can draw some ferocious strikes, remember to wait a second till you feel the fish on before setting the hook. Lipless crankbaits have been producing good numbers. Remember you can fish these baits with many types of retrieves, fast, slow, let it sink then retrieve or start cranking when it hits the water. Jerkbaits in both hard and soft have been another good lure to have tied on.
This time of the year you will start to find baitfish near the shallow water areas around coves, points and canals. These areas are easy to find on maps or just looking around while on the water. Bladed jigs can really call in a monster so don’t forget about trying these out. Any of these baits in gold, black, chrome/blue is what I would tie on. Areas near lily pads have always been successful in the years I have fished these lakes. Now is the best time to get outdoors and go fishing. Interested in booking your own guided bass fishing charter? Captain Mark is a full-time firefighter and bass fishing guide – plenty of fish pictures on his website and social media pages www.cprbasscharters.com. Captain Mark Wyckoff – 352-636-6915 – cprbasscharters@aol.com
